In unanimous ruling, the US Supreme Court enables American terror victims to sue the Palestinian Authority and PLO. The ruling reopens cases, including one where a jury awarded $655 million.
The United States Supreme Court on Friday delivered a landmark unanimous 9-0 decision, clearing the path for American victims of terror attacks in Israel and Judea and Samaria to pursue damages against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in US federal courts, AFP reported.
This pivotal ruling overturns previous appellate court dismissals that had cited jurisdictional grounds, reigniting hopes for justice among American families affected by terrorism. The decision upholds the 2019 Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), a law designed to subject the PA and PLO to US jurisdiction if they are found to have made payments to the relatives of individuals who killed or injured Americans.
In a significant legal victory for terror victims, Chief Justice John Roberts articulated the Court’s rationale, stating, “The PSJVTA reasonably ties the assertion of federal jurisdiction over the PLO and PA to conduct that involves the United States and implicates sensitive foreign policy matters within the prerogative of the political branches.”
This pronouncement reinforces the legislative intent behind the PSJVTA, which had faced challenges in lower courts on grounds of violating due process rights.
The ruling comes after years of legal battles, including a 2015 case where a jury awarded $655 million in damages and interest to US victims of attacks from the early 2000s. These lawsuits, previously stalled by jurisdictional disputes, can now move forward, offering a renewed avenue for accountability.
In February, the PA announced its intention to stop payments to the families of terrorists who were either eliminated by Israel or are currently imprisoned in Israeli jails. However, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been inconsistent in his statements—at times claiming he intends to end the “pay-to-slay” policy, only to later clarify that he has no such intention.
Abbas has in the past called the PA’s continued payments to terrorists a “red line” that would not be halted under any circumstances.
